October 11, 1941: The Attack on the Bulgarian Police Station in Prilep and Why the Day Is a State Holiday
On October 11, 1941, partisans of the First Prilep Partisan Detachment attacked the police station and prison in Prilep — an event regarded as the official start of the anti-fascist war in Vardar Macedonia.
On October 11, 1941, fighters of the First Prilep Partisan Detachment attacked the Bulgarian police station and the prison in Prilep, after first cutting the electricity and telephone lines. The attack was led by Trajko Boshkoski-Tarcan, commander of the Operational Staff, who was killed on January 6, 1943, near Slivnik in the Veles region.
The event is regarded as the official start of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War in Vardar Macedonia. The next day, October 12, armed actions also began in the Kumanovo region: the Karadak Partisan Detachment was formed at Menkova Koliba, and together with the Kumanovo Detachment, formed at Studena Voda, operations intensified until October 17.
The day is marked as the Day of the People’s Uprising, and it was designated a state holiday by a law of September 8, 1945. The details of the place, date and participants of the attack in Prilep come from museum documentation.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 11, 2026
